Coming home from Pappy Dog's 40th birthday party last night I was pulled over by the police for speeding on a big, wide open boulevard in a low populations density area. It was raining heavily. The flashing lights went on as I entered a busy intersection.

I finished crossing the intersection and pulled into the very empty parking lot of a Del Taco and parked. The officer parked behind me so I had no exit. I rolled down my window and stuck out both my hands as he approached. "Why were you doing 55 on a rainy night?" he asked. Not wanting to contradict him, yet not wanting to admit to my speed I said "55? It did not seem like that."

"Why were you driving so fast?""I grew up in NYC.""Have you been drinking?""Not at all." At this point I vigorously exhaled in his face to show my confidence that my breath was non-alcholic. "Where are you coming from?""A party.""Were you drinking there?""No sir. I don't drink at all."Then he did a "Watch my finger" test which apparently I passed."Alright then. Slow down your driving.""Thank you sir."And that was it.

Stopping in a well lit parking lot is good. Turning on your dome light is also good. As Crafty did, keeping hands visible is very good, though just keeping them visible on the steering wheel is fine.

Don't frantically dig for your documents. The officer can't tell if you are digging for a weapon or trying to stash something you shouldn't have. The less stressful you make the stop for the officer, the better your chances for avoiding a summons.

I'm reminded of good advice from my police academy "The black robe that covers the judge's ass can cover yours". Meaning, if possible, always get a warrant first. Then you are protected from liability, having acted in good faith.

I just had my head pulled out in a major way by a friend of mine that is a cop. He had made a point that I couldn’t refute.People judge me all of the time because I look a certain way, with my tattoos and my past, and I take such great issue with it because I have had to fight so hard to escape that and leave it behind, and then...I so easily judge every man that wears a badge by the same standards that I hate so much when used against me.

I don’t even know what to say, I am so wrong. I don’t know how to respond to this. It never even occurred to me, and I think that I am so smart. I know so little.

More than that, it doesn’t matter if they (or you) judge me, treat me badly, or are wholly unfair to me. What matters is my behavior, how I conduct myself. It is my failure that brings me shame.

If I have offended you (and I know that I have some), I apologize sincerely. That is the best that I can do.

A difficult job. And this is a difficult time. We should all say a prayer of gratitude to the Men in Blue and their families.....

As police in Florida prepared for the funeral of two Miami-Dade County police officers gunned down in the line of duty, shots rang out Monday in St. Petersburg, on the other side of the state. Two other officers fell dead and a federal marshal was wounded. Follow updates on CNN and affiliate WFTS-TV.

On any given day, such violence against police officers would be disturbing. But the fatalities capped a particularly violent 24 hours in the United States for the men and women in blue. Eleven police officers were shot.

“It is a very disturbing trend for all of us,” said Hal Johnson, general counsel for the Florida Police Benevolent Association. “Florida has never seen a streak like this. I don’t think anybody has.”

It is natural to search for answers, Johnson said, even if there aren’t any. The shootings do not appear to be related, and the motives may never be known. Declaring it to be open season against police officers seems dangerously simplistic, he added.

He sees the shootings more as acts of desperation.

“They are shooting at people they know have guns,” Johnson said. “I don’t know what’s going on out there, but I’ve never seen it like this. I do see the developing of a callousness. It’s almost as if shooting a police officer has lost its shock effect.”

Consider:

– On Sunday, four officers were shot in a Detroit police station by a man who walked in, firing randomly. Lamar Deshea Moore was shot to death by police so his motive may never be known, but local reports say a relative was awaiting sentencing for double murder. Two of the police officers remain hospitalized. For more, read CNN’s update and affiliate reports from the scene: WXYZ-TV and WDIV-TV.

–Two deputies were shot outside a Walmart in Port Orchard, Washington, near Seattle, on Sunday. Check outCNN, KIRO-TV and KOMO-TV for the latest updates.

– A police officer is in a coma and in critical condition after being shot during a traffic stop early Sunday in Indianapolis. Check out WTHR-TV and WISH-TV for updates.

– In Lincoln City, Oregon, a police officer was shot Sunday night during a traffic stop. The officer is in critical condition. Check out affiliate KOIN-TV for more information.

Although they do not appear to be related, the weekend shootings follow two other violent incidents last week involving police officers, including the Miami killings and a slaying in Lakewood, New Jersey.

Either we need to go back to the old days where "men" meant "men" or "men and women" or we need some new fg pronouns to avoid the tediousness of "his or her" e.g. the Chinese third person singular pronoun is "ta" and simply means "he" or "she" without specifying which.

The irritation for me for example is that a phrase such as "our fighting men and women" gives equal billing as if women were equal in numbers and danger, whereas "our fighting men" can be seen as excluding those women who do serve in harm's way, albeit not in tip of the spear combat units.

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1. The March 2011 issue of the AELE Monthly Law Journal is online, with four new articles.

Persons interested in contributing an article should contact AELE. Lawyers: Some states will credit law articles as MCLE hours, and the hours also may be counted as pro bono activity. (AELE is a Sec. 501C3 tax-exempt educational organization).

* No-Knock Home Searches

The U.S. Supreme Court mandates a case-by-case review to determine when there is a reasonable suspicion that there are exigent circumstances present justifying a no-knock entry. View at http://www.aele.org/law/2011-03MLJ101.html

* Rights of Nursing Public Employees

Congress enacted the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which provides statutory protection for women in the workplace who wish to express breast milk. Twenty-four states also have enacted legislation. View at http://www.aele.org/law/2011-03MLJ201.html

* Avoiding Liability for Antibiotic Resistant Infections in Prisoners

Those at heightened risk for MRSA infection include persons with weak immune systems, such as persons with HIV/AIDS or cancer, diabetics, IV drug users, and those living in confined spaces with others, including prisoners.View at http://www.aele.org/law/2011-03MLJ301.html

* No Warrant Needed to Search a Cell Phone Found on an Arrestee

The article, written by Martin Mayer and Chris Neumeyer, focuses on an important California decision.

2. The March 2011 issues of AELE's three periodicals have been uploaded.

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Among the 75 new cases, summarized under more than 50 different topics, are several that warrant mention here.

*** Law Enforcement Liability Reporter ***

* False Arrest/Imprisonment

An African-American electric meter reader was charged with obstructing an officer. She was using binoculars to see if house gates were open so she could read meters, or whether dogs were in a yard, etc.

The officers were not entitled to qualified immunity, as they could not identify any single circumstance about her actions that could have supported a reasonable belief that she was engaged in a criminal activity. Jones v. Clark, #09-3574, 2011 U.S. App. Lexis 707 (7th Cir.).

Seventh Circuit affirms the conviction of an IRS officer for wiretapping. He secretly arranged to have his supervisor's e-mails forwarded to him. The Wiretap Act's definition of "interception" comprises packet-switch technology as well as circuit-switch technology. U.S. v. Szymuszkiewicz, #10-1347, 2010 U.S. App. Lexis 18815 (7th Cir.).

An Illinois public employer's policy that its employees must reimburse fines paid by the employer due to red light camera violations is a disciplinary penalty "because it imposes a monetary sanction on the employee." In dismissing a lawsuit brought by a union, an appellate court panel concludes that the grievance mechanism provided in the bargaining agreement is the sole remedy of a public employee. Amalgamated Transit Workers Union v. Pace, #1-10-0631, 2011 Ill. App. Lexis 5.

A prisoner's claim that he was compelled to work outdoors uprooting tree stumps in freezing cold weather without safety instructions, protective gear, or gloves was sufficient to state a claim for violation of the Eighth Amendment. Smith v. Peters, #10-1013, 2011 U.S. App. Lexis 955 (7th Cir.).

A heavily armed man who crashed his pickup truck, then shot an EMT responding to the accident before being killed by police appeared to be on his way to carry out a mass killing, police said Wednesday.

The man, who was not identified by police, had a rifle strapped to his chest, and extra ammunition inserted in elongated wristbands on his arms, Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey told reporters. He had six weapons in his possession, including a Tec-9 automatic pistol.

"It is clear to us that this man was out to commit mayhem in this county," Mulvey said of the suspect, whom he described as about 31. Police believe he moved to Long Island from Florida in the past year. The Ford pickup truck he was driving had Florida license plates.

"There may have been some turmoil in his personal life," Mulvey said, but he would not elaborate. The suspect had an arrest record for petty larceny, but there were no arrests for any violence, police said.

The EMT, identified as 20-year-old Justin Angell of Bellmore, was in stable condition at Nassau University Medical Center. He posted a message on his Facebook page saying he was getting better.

"To everyone ... thank u so much for the calls concerns and visits ... just got up and walked a bit," said part of the message.

Shooting erupted at about 10 p.m. Tuesday in Bellmore after the man hit a utility pole with his truck. When the volunteer ambulance crew arrived, he fired at least eight shots at them from an assault rifle, wounding Angell.

Police responding to the crash then shot the man when he threatened them; the rifle the gunman was carrying had a laser scope and two officers realized they were being targeted. Mulvey said the fatal shot came from a third officer with the K-9 unit, who believed he was assisting with the car crash.

"None of us expect when they come upon the scene of an accident to be fired on," Mulvey said.

It was not clear whom the gunman may have been targeting, but Mulvey was convinced had the crash not occurred, a mass shooting was imminent.

"He has strapped to his chest a firearm with a scope. He has in his lap a long barreled revolver, and in his pocket a semiautomatic pistol," Mulvey said. "He's utilizing an assault weapon with a laser scope and there's a Tec-9 behind the passenger seat within easy arm reach of his hand, and another weapon in the car.

"It all evokes to me evidence that had he not been stopped by police, there very well could have been mayhem committed in this community."

Nassau County, located just east of New York City, is often considered America's first suburb. About 1.5 million people live in the county, which has been described as one of the wealthiest in the U.S.

INDIANAPOLIS | Overturning a common law dating back to the English Magna Carta of 1215, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Hoosiers have no right to resist unlawful police entry into their homes.

In a 3-2 decision, Justice Steven David writing for the court said if a police officer wants to enter a home for any reason or no reason at all, a homeowner cannot do anything to block the officer's entry.

"We believe ... a right to resist an unlawful police entry into a home is against public policy and is incompatible with modern Fourth Amendment jurisprudence," David said. "We also find that allowing resistance unnecessarily escalates the level of violence and therefore the risk of injuries to all parties involved without preventing the arrest."

David said a person arrested following an unlawful entry by police still can be released on bail and has plenty of opportunities to protest the illegal entry through the court system.

The court's decision stems from a Vanderburgh County case in which police were called to investigate a husband and wife arguing outside their apartment.

When the couple went back inside their apartment, the husband told police they were not needed and blocked the doorway so they could not enter. When an officer entered anyway, the husband shoved the officer against a wall. A second officer then used a stun gun on the husband and arrested him.

Professor Ivan Bodensteiner, of Valparaiso University School of Law, said the court's decision is consistent with the idea of preventing violence.

"It's not surprising that they would say there's no right to beat the hell out of the officer," Bodensteiner said. "(The court is saying) we would rather opt on the side of saying if the police act wrongfully in entering your house your remedy is under law, to bring a civil action against the officer."

Justice Robert Rucker, a Gary native, and Justice Brent Dickson, a Hobart native, dissented from the ruling, saying the court's decision runs afoul of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

"In my view the majority sweeps with far too broad a brush by essentially telling Indiana citizens that government agents may now enter their homes illegally -- that is, without the necessity of a warrant, consent or exigent circumstances," Rucker said. "I disagree."

Rucker and Dickson suggested if the court had limited its permission for police entry to domestic violence situations they would have supported the ruling.

But Dickson said, "The wholesale abrogation of the historic right of a person to reasonably resist unlawful police entry into his dwelling is unwarranted and unnecessarily broad."

This is the second major Indiana Supreme Court ruling this week involving police entry into a home.

On Tuesday, the court said police serving a warrant may enter a home without knocking if officers decide circumstances justify it. Prior to that ruling, police serving a warrant would have to obtain a judge's permission to enter without knocking.

Copyright 2011 nwitimes.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

As best as I can tell with the facts here (domestic dispute, only husband spoke up that all was alright) a good case can be made for legal entry, so the court's apparent holding seems unnecessary and perhaps overbroad.

Readily granted, the exercise of this right presents profound risks and serious problems in the real world.

That said, on the whole, there have gotten to be a rather extraordinary amount of people's home being forcefully entered by the police in our society, often by no-knock warrants, SWAT teams and so forth. There were and are good reasons for the Common Law being as it has been for 900 years. The theoretical remedy proferred seems , , , theoretical indeed and rather contrary to the spirit of a free people.

Perhaps we can begin the conversation by asking if there is a right to self-defense when being assaulted by a policeman? GM?

Do you want theory or pragmatic answers here? In theory, there is the right to self defense in most places. In reality, do you think that violent resistance will turn out well in that scenario? Were I the victim of police misconduct, I'd document everything, file IA complaints, file a civil rights complaint with the USDOJ and retain a lawyer who specializes in tort claims against law enforcement.

Of course the practical course of action will often be exactly as you describe, but the conceptual foundations must be those of a free people. So, the question remains: Do you recognize the RIGHT to self-defense against authority?

In Florida, Criminals Pose as Police More Frequently and for More Violent EndsBy DON VAN NATTA Jr.

MIAMI — A black BMW flashing red and blue lights suddenly filled Alexandria Armeley’s rearview mirror one evening last month. At a stoplight, the BMW’s driver pulled up next to her, waved a gold badge and told her “I’m a cop.”

But Ms. Armeley was suspicious. Before she pulled over, she called her stepfather, Alex Hernandez, a police detective in Biscayne Park, Fla., who warned her that the man was probably not a police officer. Speed away, he told her.

A terrified Ms. Armeley took off and was chased by the BMW for several miles through southern Miami-Dade County. Detective Hernandez had jumped in his car to help and eventually caught up to them.

So the real officer arrested the fake officer, whose name is Daniel A. Barros. Asked why he had tried to pull over Ms. Armeley, a 23-year-old college student, Mr. Barros, 22, told officers, “She was speeding.”

The BMW 7 Series car, outfitted with police lights and a siren, was “lit up like a Christmas tree,” Detective Hernandez recalled about the midnight encounter. “There are a lot of guys walking around with phony badges, but this guy had the whole works. Who knows what he would have done if he had gotten my stepdaughter to stop?”

Mr. Barros is facing several charges in the case, including impersonating an officer.

As long as police officers have worn uniforms and carried badges, criminals have dressed like them to try to win the trust of potential victims. Now the impersonators are far more sophisticated, according to nearly a dozen city police chiefs and detectives across the country.

In South Florida, seemingly an incubator of law-breaking innovation, police impersonators have become better organized and, most troubling to law enforcement officials, more violent. The practice is so common that the Miami-Dade Police Department has a Police Impersonator Unit.

Since the unit was established in 2007, it has arrested or had encounters with more than 80 phony officers in Miami-Dade County, and the frequency has increased in recent months, said Lt. Daniel Villanueva, who heads the unit.

“It’s definitely a trend,” Lieutenant Villanueva said. “They use the guise of being a police officer to knock on a door, and the victim lowers their guard for just a second. At that point, it’s too late.”

He added that part of the problem was that it was easy for civilians to buy “police products,” like fake badges, handcuffs and uniforms. “The states need to lock this down and make impersonating a police officer a more serious crime because we’re seeing more people using these types of these things to commit more serious crimes,” he said.

Detective Javier J. Baez of the Miami-Dade Police Department said, “These types of crimes here in Miami typically have a nexus to drugs.”

One evening three weeks ago, three men in police uniforms knocked on the door of a home in southwest Miami-Dade County.

When the home’s owner, Jose Montoya, opened the door, the men barged in and yelled, “Police, police! Get down, get down!” The men tied up Mr. Montoya, his wife and their toddler and then spent hours ransacking the house, the authorities said. They beat up Mr. Montoya, who was treated at a nearby hospital, and stole cash, jewelry and several weapons, the police said.

Before leaving, the robbers warned Mr. Montoya and his family not to call the police, the authorities said, or they would return and kill them.

Last summer, a Tampa man impersonating an undercover officer used a badge and a siren to pull over a 28-year-old woman and rape her. In January, the man, Luis Harris, 31, was convicted of sexual battery, grand theft, kidnapping and impersonating a police officer, among other charges. A judge sentenced Mr. Harris to life in prison

==============

Page 2 of 2)

Other police impersonators, police chiefs and detectives say, masquerade as officers for more benign reasons, like trying to scare or impress someone. “Usually,” Detective Baez said, “the wannabe cop outfits their vehicles with police lights and fake insignias to fulfill some psychological need.”

This happened in Chicago when a 14-year-old boy named Vincent Richardson donned police garb and walked into the Third District precinct during morning roll call in January 2009. Officers handed him a radio and told him to ride along with a female officer. The teenager even helped make an arrest.

“After four or five hours, she asks, ‘Who is this guy?’ ” recalled Jody P. Weis, who was the Chicago police superintendent at the time. “He’s in a uniform, he has a goofy badge, he doesn’t have a weapon and he’s a high school kid. It was so embarrassing.” (The embarrassment did not end there for Mr. Weis, who said he had recommended against punishing the teenager in juvenile court because no harm had been done. Three months later, the boy was arrested and charged with stealing a car. Last week, he was arrested on several weapons charges.)

Impersonating an officer is a misdemeanor in some states, though it is a felony in Florida. The charge’s severity, and punishment, increases if a criminal charged with posing as a police officer commits a felony. Several chiefs and detectives say the crime is not taken seriously enough by the justice system and the public. Often, the crime goes unreported, the police say.

“Unfortunately, there is not a lot of downside for a criminal to impersonate a police officer,” said Commissioner Edward Davis of the Boston Police Department. “You can charge them with impersonating a police officer, but that’s not a very serious crime. The way the law views this crime, it’s as an innocent or silly prank. But it has become a much more serious crime than it is perceived by the public.”

Detective Hernandez, of Biscayne Park, Fla., said: “People minimize it. They just let it go. They won’t think about how dangerous this potentially can be. They just don’t see it.”

Some law enforcement officials said the public did not take these types of episodes seriously because of the types of cases often highlighted by the news media. People charged with impersonating police officers are often portrayed as befuddled, hapless and harmless.

In March, a motocross champion was arrested in Orlando, Fla., and charged with impersonating a police officer. The man, James Stewart Jr., 25, tried to stop another car using red and blue lights, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The car that he tried to stop contained two off-duty troopers.

Last October in Boca Raton, Fla., Andrew Novotak, in his white Crown Victoria with flashing green lights, pulled over motorists and quizzed them about whether they had been drinking alcohol, the police said.

When the police questioned him, Mr. Novotak was wearing a police badge and carrying a loaded gun. He also had a German shepherd in his back seat, which he insisted was a police-trained dog. After arresting him, officers said they smelled alcohol on his breath. He was charged with impersonating an officer and driving under the influence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.

The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police actions.

Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public.

The degree of co-operation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionately to the necessity of the use of physical force.

Police seek and preserve public favour not by catering to public opinion but by constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.

Police use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient.

Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.

Police should always direct their action strictly towards their functions and never appear to usurp the powers of the judiciary.

The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of police action in dealing with it.

Quote:Originally Posted by from the decision: To be sure, the right to film is not without limitations. It may be subject to reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. We have no occasion to explore those limitations here, however. On the facts alleged in the complaint, Glik’s exercise of his First Amendment rights fell well within the bounds of the Constitution’s protections. Glik filmed the defendant police officers in the Boston Common, the oldest city park in the United States and the apotheosis of a public forum. In such traditional public spaces, the rights of the state to limit the exercise of First Amendment activity are “sharply circumscribed.” Moreover, ... the complaint indicates that Glik “filmed [the officers] from a comfortable remove” and “neither spoke to nor molested them in any way” (except in directly responding to the officers when they addressed him). Such peaceful recording of an arrest in a public space that does not interfere with the police officers’ performance of their duties is not reasonably subject to limitation.

Not sure where to post this, figured this is the most appropriate thread.

This week I was summoned for Jury Duty in NYC. IIRC it used to be you get summoned every 6 yrs, but they changed it to 4 yrs and many previous exemptions are now not exempt (which includes clergy, LEO's, lawyers, judges, etc). 4 yrs ago, I was summoned, got on one panel, but before the lawyers went through the process of picking jurors, we were told the parties settled. We were sent back to the Juror Pool. Was not called the next 2 days, was dismissed and informed I had served my Jury Duty.

Many coworkers told me to try to get out of it by indicating I would not be a good juror. I just told the truth in answering the lawyers' questions during (if I have this French term correct) voir dire. I figured if they don't want me, at least my conscience is clear, I didn't shirk my civic duty by lying.

Anyway, some observations:

1) Courthouse opens at 9am. There was a long line waiting to get in. Although there were 4 or 5 metal detectors, the Court Officers used 2. Anyone on line outside that had a visible disability such as walking with a cane, or in a wheelchair, were allowed in without waiting.

2) I have an official Dog Brothers Keychain. The first day, perhaps it was hectic in the morning, I was allowed to keep it. When I came back from lunch, one of the officers noticed it was a Kubotan and held onto it. I was given a receipt and told to pick it up before I left for the day. I'm thinking the officers confiscated the keychain, and yet, jurors were allowed in with canes! Truly an example of the Walking Cane being the last of the legal self-defense implements. Wonder if I showed up with a Cold Steel City Stick and effected a limp... would the cane be held? LOL

The second day in the morning, the officer looked at the keychain and asked me, "Do you know what this is?"... I replied, "It's a keychain." He retorted, "It's a kubotan." He asked his supervisor "Should we let him keep it? If he has one, he must know how to use it." I said, "Huh? It's a keychain, it was a gift." Supervisor gave me a receipt for it.

3) The case I ended up getting picked for happened in May of 2004... ~7.5 yrs later, case finally makes it to court. Wow, Justice system is slooow. LOL This was a Civil court, not a Criminal Court. The plaintiff was suing the City of NY as well as the officer for injuries, alleging, the officer used excessive force and caused damage to his neck and other parts of the body. In the back of my mind, how is it not a conflict of interest as I'm a NYC taxpayer, I'm thinking if I find for the Plaintiff, I end up paying him. I was the first juror picked on the first day (this Monday 10/31). It took the lawyers all of the 2nd day to pick 7 more jurors (6 jurors and 2 alternates for a civil case). We were told to come back in 2 days at 10am which was today.

We waited for about 90 mins before a court officer escorted us to the court we were assigned to. We waited almost an hour before the court officer came back informing us that the lawyers didn't finish setting up. We could break for lunch, come back at 2pm. Also, as luck would have it, there was a fire drill scheduled for today. We get sworn in, sitting in the jury box, the judge gives us instructions and sure enough the fire alarm went off. This was 2:15.

We go downstairs and about 15 mins waiting time, we went back upstairs. The judge finishes his instructions. He informed us they will take a recess. We go back into the waiting room for jurors only. It's about 3pm before we go back into the court. The judge informs us that both parties decided to settle. Judge and lawyers thanked us.

On the one hand, I thought this case may take a few days and was worried about missing work (I am an equities trader and monday and tuesday market plummeted), but on the other hand, I was curious what the plaintiff would say, what the defendants would say, what the medical experts would say regarding this incident, what were the details of the incident. We didn't get that many details during voir dire and it was over before it began. We jurors saw and spoke to the Defense Attorney afterwards and got more details. Plaintiff was a passenger in a vehicle with his 2 kids, 13 and 10. Driver was told to pull over as the Officers checked on xyz (forgot the reason the carf was pulled over). It was 2 am or so. Officers run the license and checking for any outstanding warrants etc. when the plaintiff flipped out. He got belligerent and then was arrested for disorderly conduct I think. At no time did the officers attack him. While the plaintiff was being put into the cell, he attacked one of the 2 officers. Plaintiff is a big dude, the officer kept punching him. Defense attorney said, most officers don't want to lose their job and wouldn't admit to hitting anyone. This officer admitted he punched him, '...many times to get him off of me.'

Bottom line: plaintiff settled for $40,000. This irks me somewhat, we live in a litigious society where it seems you could sue the City and get a gift by accepting the settlement instead of have the case go to the jury for deliberation. I believe if we listened to evidence we would find for the Defense so Plaintiff got a gift and settled. Do not know the amount he was suing for, guessing it was multi-million, but could be wrong. As a law-abiding citizen, really peeved that grifters exist and get away with stuff like this.

4) Lots and lots of mental toughness training for me. Despite having a book and a laptop with me, it was a tough 3 days. So much waiting, so much of the time, seemed wasted... I'm sure there are stuff going on that we, as jurors, were not privvy to, but it really seemed like wasted time. Everyone involved with the case semed to take their time with everything.

If you've read this far, thank you.

Very truly yours in the Martial Arts and Self-Defense,

~sg

edit: my post is in no way attacking the Court Officers or the Justice System.

« Last Edit: November 04, 2011, 12:35:45 AM by Stickgrappler »

Logged

"A good stickgrappler has good stick skills, good grappling, and good stickgrappling and can keep track of all three simultaneously. This is a good trick and can be quite effective." - Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny

2) I have an official Dog Brothers Keychain. The first day, perhaps it was hectic in the morning, I was allowed to keep it. When I came back from lunch, one of the officers noticed it was a Kubotan and held onto it. I was given a receipt and told to pick it up before I left for the day. I'm thinking the officers confiscated the keychain, and yet, jurors were allowed in with canes! Truly an example of the Walking Cane being the last of the legal self-defense implements. Wonder if I showed up with a Cold Steel City Stick and effected a limp... would the cane be held? LOL

Concerning canes: My thought is this: You may be able to have one BEFORE an incident, but AFTER the incident, my hunch is that the authorities (and plaintiff's attorney) will want to verify that you NEEDED it. If you cannot show this, then it would seem to me that a rather troublesome claim that you came armed can be made.

although my thought about the cane was in jest, point well-taken! thank you.

G M,

LOL - yeah, i used to carry a mini-maglite with me, even had the koppo wrap (thank you for the idea Don Rearic!) on one, but it seemed out-of-place on me so i stopped. As the weather is getting colder now in nyc, may start again, and just leave in my coat pocket.

Logged

"A good stickgrappler has good stick skills, good grappling, and good stickgrappling and can keep track of all three simultaneously. This is a good trick and can be quite effective." - Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny

DPD says officers used “non-lethal agents,” like pepper spray and paintball-like balls full of tear gas, to subdue the crowd.

“We did have an officer who was pushed off his motorcycle and we had two officers who were kicked,” Murray said. “When it escalated to that point, we made a city-wide call [for backup].”

After police converged and started making arrests, officers say the crowd started to push in on them. They say the crowd even more agitated, spurring Denver Police to bring in more officers in riot gear.

Some protesters say police escalated the situation unnecessarily.

“They asked us to take a tent down. Some kid was standing too close to them. They just started attacking everybody. Spraying people with mace, arresting them. We did nothing. This is supposed to be a peaceful protest, and, they’re attacking us,” Sean Drigger, a protester said.

What is clear is that the standoff is tense, ugly, and ongoing. The protesters want to be able to set up their tents and camp out, while the police seem determined to break up this protest tonight.

Zuccotti Park has become so overrun by sexual predators attacking women in the night that organizers felt compelled to set up a female-only sleeping tent yesterday to keep the sickos away.

The large, metal-framed “safety tent” -- which will be guarded by an all-female patrol -- can accommodate as many as 18 people and will be used during the day for women-only meetings, said Occupy Wall Street organizers.

“This is all about safety in numbers,” said Becky Wartell, 24, a protester from Portland, Maine.

$KINNING FAT CAT MOORE

Andrew Kelly

NO MAN’S LAND: Occupy Wall Street participants set up a women-only “safety tent” in Zuccotti Park yesterday as a protection against pervs who have been prowling the park.

PROTESTER THROWS FIT IN McDONALD'S WHEN HE CAN'T GET FREE FOOD

BUSTED TEACH: I PROTEST

“When you’re in a large group of people sleeping, you will, of course, feel a lot safer than if you were by yourself,” she added.

“It will also keep away people that might feel more inclined to prey on two- and three-people tents.”

The safety measure comes amid a terrifying spree of sexual assaults -- including an alleged rape -- in the Zuccotti Park camp.

Kitchen worker Tonye Iketubosin, 26, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly groping an 18-year-old woman after offering to help set up her tent. He is also a suspect in a rape at the park.

The grope victims include Kara Demetropoulos, who told The Post she was fondled in a tent last Saturday night after accepting a man’s offer of a place to sleep.

Most protesters have not been reporting all the incidents to police -- instead preferring to settle things on their own.

The tent and its all-female security detail is the latest crime-fighting measure, and it is already garnering much interest.

“I’m gonna be staying here,” said Olivia Chitayat, 23, who was helping to put up the tent. “It’s partially because of the recent attacks that have been happening.

“I think that this will help bring more women to the movement as well. I think a lot of women have been hesitant and especially for those that are new and don’t know a lot of people it’s hard to find a safe place to stay.”

Demetropoulos thought the safety tent was a good idea, though she doesn’t plan on using it even after her own unhappy experience.

“I feel safe in my tent, but I bet this will help a lot of other women feel a lot safer than they have been,” said the 20-year-old native of Alabama.

Some of the male OWS protesters remained in denial over the growing number of sex attacks.

“Sexual harassment gets called rape, and it’s not,” one scoffed when told of the women’s tent.

“There’s no way that it’s happening as much as people are saying it has. It’s just word spreading and getting misunderstood.”

One woman was also against the structure, saying the protesters who put it up took her tent down without notice to make room.

“I’m pissed! I pretty much just got evicted,” fumed Angelina Isfreed, 32, after returning to find her tent taken down. “I won’t be staying there.”

More people may have to move. The protest organizers plan to put up seven more large tents, including ones for gay and transgender people, co-ed tents and a medical tent.

Meanwhile, Mayor Bloomberg said on his WOR radio show that he wasn’t going to tolerate lawlessness in Zuccotti Park.

“People have the right to protest; they don’t have a right to destroy a neighborhood,” he said. “Anybody that thinks we’re going to tolerate behavior that’s not protected is wrong.”

Yesterday, former Mayor Giuliani said President Obama must take responsibility for the “very dangerous” OWS movement.

“Barack Obama owns the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement; it would not have happened but for his class warfare,” Giuliani told the conservative Americans for Prosperity Foundation summit in DC.

Benjamin David Gilmore, who has been arrested on suspicion of arson in the Oct. 24 Old Town fire, appeared before the Fort Collins City Council on Tuesday during the public comment portion of the meeting.

In his comments, Gilmore asked that the city find a way to accommodate the Occupy Fort Collins movement and allow it to stay where protesters have been gathering the past few weeks. He compared it to a special event that could be permitted by the city.

"Please, we are asking: let us continue, let us be free," he said.

Gilmore also criticized the country's banking system and the two-party political system during his remarks, comparing them to playing a game with a 5-year-old who changes the rules in order to win.

"Normally, I am very reserved and very quiet, but tonight I feel compelled that I need to address you," Gilmore told the council.

Every mini-maglite I've seen has an attachment point for a key ring. It might not have the coolness factor of a DBMA Kubotan, but I assure you it'll work the same while going under the radar.

Woof G M,

doh! you are right but of course, i overlooked that little hole! excellent, thank you for the wake-up call!

~sg

Logged

"A good stickgrappler has good stick skills, good grappling, and good stickgrappling and can keep track of all three simultaneously. This is a good trick and can be quite effective." - Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny

Saturday, November 5, 2011Fear of Violence Spreading to Occupy Seattle

Posted by Thomas Ferdousi at 4:15 PM

With violence breaking out among members of Occupy Oakland and Denver, there is a growing concern that the movement may break out into mob storms. With the protesters losing members and even positive press coverage, there is a further concern of outright attacks beginning.

This brings us to Seattle, where these is a very real atmosphere of tensions building in the city. In 1999 the city, known for its hippy and hipster populations, saw violent protests against the World Trade Organization.

Now, it has gotten so tense that parents are even cordoning the Occupy protesters from their children. The occupiers had even squatted on a playground, creating an unsafe environment:

“He likes going out in the sandbox and playing and he can’t do that anymore,” Crawford says.

Crawford says he walked around the area near the playground and saw empty beer cans and smelled marijuana.

Just as in Oakland, tensions between the police and the protesters are increasing, so much so that violence may begin in the Northwest city.

Reports of Occupy Seattle's protestors animosity towards police has been noted in confrontations since they took up encampment in Seattle's Westlake Park.

Just several weeks ago came arrests in the city as the protesters refused to move. They were met with arrests:

Those who refused are being arrested and their tents are being moved.

KOMO Radio reports there have been a half-dozen arrests for obstruction.

The costs of all of these protests for Seattle? Over $100k so far. And that's not even counting lost business and possibly lost jobs. With those factors included, the number could be much, much higher.